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A former Ukrainian prime minister has been accused of plotting to bribe politicians with stacks of U.S. {dollars} in a scheme aimed toward weakening President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s authorities, a former political adviser has claimed.
Ukraine’s Nationwide Anti-Corruption Bureau (UNACB) first confirmed Jan. 13 it uncovered an alleged effort by the chief of an unnamed parliamentary faction to supply unlawful advantages to lawmakers, in response to Reuters.
Video launched by UNACB confirmed stacks of U.S. {dollars} seized throughout in a single day searches earlier this week, together with footage of a lady within the workplace sitting behind a desk. Authorities didn’t publicly determine the suspect.
Based on the Kyiv Publish, printed recordings allegedly present that three lawmakers have been supplied $10,000 per thirty days in trade for his or her votes, with the case linked by some to Yulia Tymoshenko, a veteran politician, former prime minister, and present chief of the Batkivshchyna social gathering.
UKRAINIAN OFFICIAL YERMAK RESIGNS AS CORRUPTION PROBE ENCIRCLES ZELENSKYY
Yulia Tymoshenko accused of bribing lawmakers to weaken Zelenskyy. (REUTERS/Andrii Nesterenko)
Former Zelenskyy press secretary Yuliia Mendel advised Fox Information Digital the money allegedly belonged to Tymoshenko and was supposed to pay lawmakers to vote in opposition to the president’s legislative proposals.
“In Ukraine, such transactions are often mentioned in U.S. {dollars}, as you’ll be able to see from the regulation enforcement studies,” Mendel, a former political advisor mentioned.
“The U.S. {dollars} proven in that video have been allegedly hers that she was supposed to make use of to pay individuals to vote in opposition to Zelenskyy’s legislative proposals. She mentioned it was her private financial savings,” Mendel added.
Mendel mentioned the sums proven within the footage appeared comparatively modest, “about $40,000,” she mentioned, noting different corruption instances in Ukraine have concerned “a lot bigger sums, generally tens of millions of {dollars}.”
The raid on Tymoshenko’s social gathering workplace reportedly lasted practically all night time. “Officers arrived within the night and remained in her workplace for nearly your entire night time,” Mendel mentioned.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ukraine’s president, throughout Coalition of the Prepared assembly in London, U.Ok., on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (Chris J. Ratcliffe/Bloomberg through Getty Photos)
Investigators allege a number of lawmakers — reportedly together with members of Zelenskyy’s personal faction — approached Tymoshenko, resulting in discussions about common month-to-month funds in trade for coordinated voting.
Regardless of reportedly being served with a discover of suspicion, Tymoshenko additionally addressed parliament this week, calling the case “political persecution in opposition to me.”
“The so-called ‘pressing investigative actions’ that lasted all night time ended on the Batkivshchyna social gathering workplace. These ‘pressing investigative actions’ don’t have anything to do with regulation and order,” Tymoshenko additionally wrote on Fb.
Based on Mendel, the objective was to not assault Zelenskyy personally however to fracture the ruling mono-majority in parliament.
ZELENSKYY MOVES TO ‘CLEAN UP’ UKRAINE’S ENERGY SECTOR AS CORRUPTION SCANDAL ROCKS LEADERSHIP
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses the Ukrainian Parliament in Kyiv, Ukraine on December 28, 2022. Zelenskiyy introduced that they regained management of greater than 1800 settlements captured by Russian forces within the Russia-Ukraine warfare. ((Picture by Ukrainian Presidency / Handout/Anadolu Company through Getty Photos))
“Ukraine’s system is a parliamentary-presidential republic, that means the legislature performs a central function in governance. When the president controls a mono-majority, laws can cross rapidly,” Mendel mentioned.
“Breaking that majority would considerably weaken Zelenskyy’s legislative authority,” Mendel defined.
Tymoshenko, a central determine within the 2004 Orange Revolution and Ukraine’s first feminine prime minister, has confronted authorized hassle earlier than.
In 2011, she was jailed over a fuel cope with Russia in a case broadly seen as politically motivated, earlier than being launched in 2014. She is anticipated to seem earlier than Ukraine’s Excessive Anti-Corruption Courtroom.
“Corruption is without doubt one of the key causes we’re dropping this warfare. It severely damages Ukraine’s picture on the worldwide stage,” Mendel warned.
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“By 2024, corruption had reached such a scale that Ukrainians selected a particularly harmful and painful path — exposing it publicly with a purpose to battle it,” Mendel added.
“Now, instances like this deliver the problem again into the highlight. Corruption will destroy Ukraine.”
Fox Information Digital has reached out to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s workplace for remark.
